Meditation

Read Proverbs 3:27-29                                   —Proverbs 3:27 (CEB)

Don’t withhold good from someone who deserves it, when it is in your power to do so.

Our friend Bill had cancer surgery and was to begin radiation treatment soon thereafter. Instead, Bill had to make two trips to the emergency room and undergo five more surgeries. Bill’s wife, Julie, emailed prayer requests and updates, made daily long drives to the hospital, and became his advocate for insurance, the hospital and other care issues. Exhaustion eventually overwhelmed her.

After reading Julie’s latest email, I asked God, “What can I do to help?” Then a thought crossed my mind: Ask Julie if she wants to stay with us. My next thought was, But she’s already staying with friends. I told my husband, and he felt we should offer our home anyway. As I talked to Julie, she started crying. “My friends just told me they are going on vacation,” she said, “so I felt I needed to leave.” I had heard stories of needs being met at just the right time. I always wondered, How does that happen? In this case, my thought to invite Julie into our home was so powerful that it was as if God had spoken it out loud.

God works in many ways as there are people who are willing to act upon divine prompting. When God nudges us to help someone, we can take every opportunity to serve those around us.

Prayer—Dear God, show us people who need our help today, and give us courage to act. Amen.

Thought for the Day—What has God given me that I can share with someone else?

Pamela Rosales (Oregon)